Okay... it's 2 o'clock in the morning and you just got home from work or maybe a night on the town (this is a no-judgment zone)! Either way, if you're like me, you just want to slurp up a hot bowl of ramen before tucking in. My cupboard is typically stocked with oodles of noodles, but last time browsing the aisles at Pacific Rim Foods, a particular brand was calling me...
The first thing you'll notice about Itsuki brand ramen is the tall packaging, which includes long, straight dried noodles, powdered soup base and a packet of oil. These noodles were fantastic! I seriously only boiled them for a minute, took them off the heat, stirred in the powdered soup base and poured on the oil. The advantage of the dried noodles was clearly evident... clean taste and texture, as well as fewer calories.
The powdered soup base presented a pleasant surprise... an umami rich, creamy pork bone-style soup accented with soy, miso, scallions and spices! Definitely one of the better instant bases I've tried. After preparing the ramen, I added an over-easy egg, a sprinkling of roasted sesame seeds, a big pinch of scallions, and a dash of chili oil!
Not too bad for only taking 3 minutes to prepare and much more satisfying than just pouring boiling water into a noodle bowl and watching the clock slowly count down for 5 minutes! Itsuki offers several varieties of instant ramens which will definitely cure your late night cravings!
-David Lynn